Cats' Prey
by Lollicatt
Summary: A kidnapping, a betrayal from a broken family, magic they didn't know was real, pain and heartache wrapped up in stripes and gold. Maddy Aisling has come to the hosts to see Haruhi and her cousin, she didn't expect to get kidnapped her first day there, but with a sorcerer gunning for her and her cousin's life, the questions may need to be put on hold while she tries to stay alive
1. Chapter 1

"Maddy!"

Madden Aislinng's stormy blue eyes lit up at the sound of her name, and caught on her cousin Nala who was politely trying to push her way through the crowd. Maddy raised an arm to wave in greeting, and that's where everything went wrong.

From behind her, like a tidal wave, out of the crowd, a dozen men streamed towards the girl, and with a hard, yet somehow discreet, blow to the back of the head, one of them caught the suddenly unconscious Irish-American girl and guarding her body lifted her up and spirited her away into the crowd.

Nala Fuyumi choked on a scream, almost tripping over her own feet. Yet somehow as her world spun to a stand still, none of the other people around her saw what happened. A few men and women in a hurry brushed by her and gave her dirty looks at where she was kneeling on the ground in obvious shock.

From somewhere a few feet next to her, a voice that was like nails on a chalkboard filled her ears.

"Something you should remember Nala Fuyumi, a bugged phone is as easy as being right there with you." Nala's head turned slowly as she dragged her eyes to look at the tall, imposing figure of Officer Tokiya, - the man who had haunted her steps for months and been a silent menace in the shadows - stood several feet away from her. He tipped his hat towards her. "Have a nice day Miss Fuyumi." And he melted into the crowd.

"Nala!?"

The shocked voices of the hosts and Haruhi behind her caused her to turn tear filled green eyes back towards them.

"They took her. They bugged my phone. They-they...took h-her."

The tears were slipping down her face furiously and Kyoya tugged her up from the ground into his arms. The curses of the other hosts were harsh as they protectively herded the girls back into the limo, and Kyoya gave the order to go somewhere they could actually create a decent plan. Music Room #3.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V

"Pull. Rend. Tear. Snap. Pull. Rend. Tear. Snap." The chant whispered through the darkness of a small dank room. It came from a tall, skeletal man who was hunched over a table. On that table, lay a body. "Pull. Rend. Tear. Snap." A sadistic grin slid over the sorcerer's face as he played with Officer Tokiya's body. "Thought you were better than us hm?" The sorcerer bent so it would appear the hollow black pits where his eyes should have been were staring directly into officer Tokiya's wide open and terrified ones. "Pull. Rend. Tear. Snap." His inhuman, bony fingers with their claw like fingernails slid under the skin of Tokiya's body as he muttered the chant slowly, pulling an agonized moan from the man. "You are a fool. A beautiful toy, but a fool." Another claw slid into the body. "You had one simple task _officer_ , yet not only do you fail me, you bring me the wrong girl."

Officer Tokiya couldn't have replied even if he wanted to. His lips had been stitched shut.

The sorcerer's hollowed out eyes slid over to the unconscious crumpled form of a girl on the floor in the corner of the room.

His pets crawled around her, one touched her hair. Hair the color of deep, rich, red, auburn. It flickered and shimmered in the light like a dark liquid fire. Or blood. The sorcerer smiled. Oh yes, this next playtoy would be a fun one to make scream. With her delicate features, and that gorgeous, rich hair, he knew he could expect great things from her. Maybe it was time to forget that other little vixen with her emerald eyes and her chocolate colored hair. However, the thought of her emerald eyes, and a glance at the rich red hair of the girl on the floor caused some semblance of a twisted, sadistic smile slide over the sorcerer's face. Maybe it was time to look into his old research on the melding of human bodies.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Madden Aisling moaned as she woke up. Her head was throbbing, and her eyes felt like they were caked shut. She could feel the moisture from the dank, wet floor seeping through the fabric of her pants, and the smell of blood and something far worse permeated the air.

 _Wait, BLOOD!?_

Sitting up with a jolt, Maddy nearly rolled back into a ball from the searing pain in her head that was caused by the sudden movement. She finally managed to crack open an eye after valiantly holding in the contents of her stomach. The moment she opened her eyes however, she couldn't have kept the food down even if she wanted to.

Moments later found tears of horror dripping down her face as she vomited violently into the corner. Upon opening her eyes, she had discovered from where the scent of blood and fumes were coming from.

Scant feet from her face, lay the dismembered body of what she would have guessed to once be a human.

It had been torn apart. Although, perhaps torn wasn't the right word. It looked like one of those frog experiments you had to dissect in school for biology. Meticulously cut apart and separated into the correct piles of body parts. Pools of blood covered the floor, and she realized with horror that the wetness seeping through her pants was not water, but the blood of whoever those piles of body parts had once been.

Within seconds she was back to violently dry heaving as she fought down a scream.

She turned to face the wall, keeping the body parts at her back, but that had her fear rising sharply. It was easier to look at them than to let their unseen presence tear at the fragile edges of her sanity.

 _Face your fears head on. You're already letting time pass by being scared, so you might as well face your fear rather then let the time slide by in which you remain scared rather than face it and win_

With a deep breath and a rolling stomach, the girl turned to face the body, gagging as she did so. Not looking directly at it, she observed the room instead. It appeared to be a basement of some sort. Four concrete walls and a door in one. No windows, and a dirt floor. Charts littered the four walls, and on the far wall from the door, the one she had been puking against, stood a tall metal cabinet with some sort of chemical ingredients behind it's glass doors. With shaking legs and averted eyes, Maddy stood and being as careful as possible to step around the body and pools of blood, she went closer for a better look at the charts.

They appeared to be some sort of alchemy charts, and with a whimper, Maddy suddenly realized what she was looking at. Human Alchemy. The study of bonding the human body. The study of _creating_ a human body.

Maddy was almost a hundred percent sure she was going to be sick again. The pile of body parts on the floor, these charts, the ingredients against the wall. She dashed across the room, stumbling as she went, and began to try to tug the door open. However, before her hands touched the handle she had a thought.

 _This door looks old, which means it will probably creak. If there's someone on the other side i probably want a weapon of some sort to fend them off._

Her stormy blue eyes were drawn to the metal and glass cabinet across the room. With hurried steps and a racing heart, the girl hurried across the room, brushed off old cobwebs and dust, and yanked open one of the cabinet doors.

Sulphuric Acid

Nitric Acid

Muriatic Acid

Bleach

Liquid Ammonia

These and so many more littered the shelves, covered in dust from disuse, but the girl went for the first thing that both looked and sounded deadly.

There appeared to be some sort of homemade acid on the shelf right at her eye level, in a black, metal bottle that probably held about a cup of the stuff. It was labeled 'dissolving acid' with sticky, old red tape that looked like it was peeling off the bottle..

Gingerly reaching a hand in, the girl picked the bottle up and twisting off the cap, she let a tiny drop fall out of the bottle to the ground.

It hit the ground with a spark and a small poof of smoke.

Stomach rolling, because she really didn't want to hurt anyone, but she didn't want to end up like the body on the floor, she left the lid loose so it could be easily pulled off. If it was what it came down to, she'd defend herself. With that resolve in mind, the girl scooped up that bottle, and headed for the door.

As she gently tested the door handle, she was surprised to find it unlocked. Slowly swinging the door open, she was shocked and horrified to see a set of stairs that led down into pitch blackness. Before she could have even thought about stepping foot out of the door onto those stairs, a long, drawn out wail drifted up them, and there was the heavy thud and scrape of booted feet that began to echo up the steps in a steady momentum. She almost slammed the door shut, but at the last second closed it quietly.

 _Obviously, that isn't the way out...which means, there has to be a second way out!_

Eyes scanning the room, the girl caught her breath on a sob. She didn't see a second way out.

 _Unless….wait! There!_

Maddy's eyes lit up as she stared at the faint outline of a trapdoor on the ceiling.

 _Like any movie ever….classic._

However, she could hear the slow, heavy, footsteps coming up the stairs, and to reach the string dangling from the trap door she had to clamber up onto a very slick, blood covered table. Horror shivered up her spine, but, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Bloody hell."

She snorted at the ironic phrase, she couldn't help it. her natural sense of sarcasm coming to play. It was either laugh or cry in that moment, and crying meant defeat, so...laughing it was.

With those whispered words, she stepped forward and shoved herself up onto the table.

She was only just barely able to reach to string. It had obviously been designed for someone much taller to pull it down. When she got the trapdoor open, a rope ladder dropped onto her face, and she almost fell off the table in shock at the sudden attack from the piece of rope. As she put her foot on the bottom rung, the entire thing swung, making her stomach go queasy. She could feel the matted blood in her hair and knew not all of it was from that...thing on the basement floor. Whatever had happened that had gotten her here had resulted in some sort of head injury for her.

Pulling herself up another rung, she moved slowly till the top half of her body was out of the trap door and she found herself in an... _Alley?_ Confusion swamped her. What weird place had trapdoors that let into alleyways? _Apparently wherever I am._ As she began pulling herself up however, there was a creaking noise and the door across the room swung open. Maddy didn't turn to look, just scrambled up the ladder as fast as possibly, and slammed the trap door shut behind her. Before she had even taken a step forward though, it swung open and a clawed hand grabbed her ankle as some sort of halloween horror face appeared at the trap door opening.

Reacting on instinct, she let out a ear piercing shriek, and popping the lid off the bottle she held with quick, jerky movements, dumped the entire bottle of dissolving acid on the creature's face.

It let go of her with a roar that had the ground shaking, and her sprinting off like an olympian runner.

How had she ended up here?

Where exactly _was_ here?

The last thing Maddy remembered was the train station, seeing a glimpse of green eyes and... _NALA!_ That was right! She was in Japan! She has been at the station to meet her cousin for the first time again in years. She'd seen Nala through the crowd and started waving.

Maddy would have been shaking her head in annoyance at her foolishness if her head wasn't throbbing so badly, and she wasn't running for her life.

How could she have been so stupid?

Something hasn't been right when Nala had sprinted forward with fear in her eyes and Maddy's name a scream on her lips.

Her cousin's fear was made obvious as she thought back to the body she'd woken up next to, and what Kyoya and Nala had told her of the situation her cousin was stuck in.

Forcing the bile down, Maddy pushed the emotions of fear out of her heart with a firm hand. She could focus on her own fear and pain later. For now? For now she had to get to her cousin, and to the police to report all she had seen and been part in since her arrival.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

As Madden Aisling ran down a street like the hounds of hell were chasing her, a thought came to mind that completely made her revise her original plan

 _Wait I can't go to the police! Who's gonna believe me when I say a demon from Insidious kidnapped me and held me in his lair with dismembered body parts under the city?_

Cursing as she ran down the street, Maddy made a fast change of plans, and stepping onto the sidewalk, headed for the first couple of people she saw.

"Excuse m-"

She didn't even get to finish her first words as one of the woman looked at her, gasped and fainted and the men began shouting at her in angry fear. With a look down at herself Maddy let out her own strangled gasp. She was covered on blood, no wonder the woman had fainted. It looked like she'd rolled around in a murder scene before deciding to take a casual stroll down the street.

 _Not very far off from what actually happened…._

"Wait wait! It's paint! It's paint!"

The men in the group backed away a little rather than crowding her but still did their best to look intimidating to the little American-Irish teen.

"I, um," It took Maddy a moment to find the wording in Japanese and she winced, it had been far too long since she had had to speak it fluently. Finally finding the phrase, she began again, "I'm sorry, i didn't mean to startle you, I'm a tourist, an I got paint spilled all over meh by these hooligans. I was wonderin' if any of you had a phone i could borrow to call my cousin to come get me?"

Maddy tried hard to cover her irish accent, but it was hard, especially since she'd been staying with her family in Ireland for a few weeks before traveling here so it was stronger than normal. The men looked skeptical, but another woman, an elderly, grandmotherly type, stepped forward with a smile.

"Of course, pardon our rudeness, your appearance startled us greatly. Here, use mine to call your family, again, our apologies."

With a bow, the old woman handed her phone over to Maddy before stepping back to the group. Maddy eyed the phone warily for a moment, wondering how the woman could be so kind so suddenly.

 _Gah stop being suspicious of everything, just because you got kidnapped by the ghost of something from Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't mean you can be threatened by a woman with a phone and a kind smile._

Mentally shaking herself, Maddy flipped open the phone and dialed the number she had memorized by heart months ago. It rang a few times before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

Nala's familiar voice broke whatever spell seemed to be over Maddy, and she began to shake as the adrenalin let her body.

"Nala, it's Maddy."

"HOLY CRAP ARE YOU OK!? WHERE ARE YOU!? WE"VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU SINCE LAST NIGHT!?"

Wincing and holding the phone a little away from her ear at the volume her cousin was shouting at, Maddy quickly tried to shush her, and switched to English so less people would be able to understand her if they overheard her speaking. She took a seat in a chair and tried g to play off her shaking legs like she was just antsy and hadn't just spilled acid all over a monster's face.

"Nala be quiet I'm in a public place, I escaped the skeleton version o' Jack the Ripper and made it too some sort of downtown shopping area, I doona- don't, don't remember where I am it's been too long since I've been here. I'm at some Japanese version of Starbucks, but I don't know my exact location."

Her voice was shaking as she spoke, her accent leaking into it stronger than she liked it to be, and her whole body was trembling. With a forced smile as some people walked by with non-subtle stares at the girl sitting in blood drenched clothes in a cafe chair Maddy spoke again.

"I ha' to give the phone back to the woman I borrowed it from, but please hurry Nala 'm freakin' out. I don't know what you got mixed up in but I'm really scared right now and I look like I just rolled out of a horror movie murder scene and I'm drenched in blood and a whole lot of things I don't want to think about right now."

Even though her voice was hushed, Maddy looked around herself quickly as she spoke to make sure no one was listening in. Nala's voice was serious as she spoke.

"Yeah, I have some friends in the area since there are only two of those cafes that I know of and judging by how busy it sounds you're at the downtown one." Nala's voice was muffled as she spoke to someone on the other end of the line, but she was back in a second. "Ok Honey and Mori are on their way to get you, hang tight ok? Look for a guy who looks like a grade schooler with a tall, dark, and silent guy ok?"

Nodding, and then realizing Nala couldn't see her, Maddy spoke into the phone.

"Got it, I'll see yeh soon."

With those words, she hung up and sagged into the chair for a moment.

"Are you all set?"

Blinking as she found the kind, old woman next to her suddenly, Maddy smiled and nodded.

"Yes thank yeh, my cousin is coming for meh and should be here soon. I'm really sorry for the sudden appearance."

The woman laughed, showing off very white teeth.

"Of course, i had something similar happen once when I was visiting family in Tokyo so I completely understand. It's scary being a tourist who is lost and alone in a big city." Nodding in confirmation of the woman's words, Maddy waited for her to walk away, but the other woman hesitated before going to sit in the chair across the small cafe table. "Tell me if you don't mind, I'm curious about your accent. You speak Japanese well for a tourist, but you do not sound American to me."

With an internal sigh, Maddy forced herself to sit up straight and speak.

 _She was kind enough to help meh, the least I can do is be polite back._

So, with that in mind, Maddy began speaking.

"No no it's ok. I'm actually Irish, but I lived here for a few years before I moved to America, and now I'm back here for work and to visit family."

"Oh my." The old woman looked surprised. "You have traveled a great deal for one so young."

Maddy shrugged.

"I didn't have a choice, i go where my parents go neh? I was lucky enough to land a job that is goin'ta be based out of Ouran so I'm staying with family until I can get up on my own two feet."

Before the woman could say anything else, there was a the sound of an engine and a limo pulled into a reserved for customers only parking spot. The back door opened even as it was just parking, and a tall teenager stepped out of it, before assisting a small blond child out of it.

 _Not a child, make that a young man._

It was true, even from the distance she was at, she could see the serious set of both young men's faces and the way their eyes were quickly looking over people at the cafe before settling on her.

"Ah, if you'll excuse meh, my cousin ha' arrived I should be going."

With a polite bow to the woman, Maddy stood up, and shakily began walking towards the limo as it's two occupants watched her come with wary eyes.

"'ello, Nala's friends right?"

The blond nodded his head, and spoke.

"And you must be Nal-chan's cousin Maddy!" He gave her a beaming smile and gestured for her to enter the car. "It's too bad we're meeting like this, Nal-chan has told us such nice stories of you and then this happened on your first night back." He shook his head in disgust. "Kyo-chan is gonna find these guys don't worry, let's just get you back safe!"

So saying, he gestured towards the car again for her to enter, and with one last glance down the street, Maddy did just that.

**Author's Note**

Hey friends! I'm back with Nala, Maddy and the gang! Thanks for being patient during the absence I wanted to write the first few chapters of the story first before publishing it to give me a base to work from.

To those of you who are new, welcome too my story Cats' Prey the sequel to my story cat's eyes. It doesn't have to be read first but it may help clear some things up for you storyline wise.

Thank you everyone! You're all wonderful people ~ Lollicatt


	2. Chapter 2

Upon sliding into the car, Maddy kept her eyes on the two boys who followed her in. Wary and more than a little unsure about the whole situation, she kept her hand on the handle of the door on the opposite side of the car. Upon seeing the look the small blond was giving her, she shrugged and looked down at the floor.

"Sorry, but afteh the night I've had, don't be surprised I'm a wee bit shy of strangers right about now."

The blond boy spoke up.

"It's ok you've been through a lot neh? For now if you can, just trust us that we'll get you back to Nal-chan safely."

Maddy nodded her head slowly, trying to ignore the dull ache at the base of her head that made movement agonizing. Her stomach was still rolling queasily from the horrors she had woken up to, so for now she merely focused on keeping what was left in her stomach and not all over the limo floor.

The drive was a short one much to Maddy's relief, and she watched the two boys warily even as sleep threatened to make her head nod. Upon arriving at their destination, Maddy looked out the window and surveyed the large mansion she had been brought to.

"Where are we?"

The blond boy whom she realized she didn't know the name of, spoke again.

"Mine and Takashi's home. It's the safest place we could go to where we wouldn't have people interrupting us. Nal-chan and the rest are inside."

Maddy watched him warily, as he slid out the door that the driver held open for him, debating whether or not to follow.

 _Honestly what choice do I have?_

With that thought in mind, she slowly scooted across the seat and out the door, wincing when the sunlight hit her eyes again. Her head was throbbing, and her eyes hurt, and she really wanted nothing more than to sleep, but that wasn't an option yet.

Stepping after the boys slowly, she jumped in surprise when the smaller one gently grasped her arm and pulled it around his shoulders.

"Lean on me so you don't fall!"

Tense at the sudden touch, and knowing she was getting blood all over him from her dirty clothes, she was hesitant to lean into him, but when she felt herself swaying on her feet from the dizziness, Maddy knew she didn't have a choice.

"Thanks."

He hummed in acknowledgement but didn't speak.

As they approached the house, the front door burst open, and someone sprinted down the steps towards them. It was Nala. Wonderful, beautiful Nala with worried green eyes, and her brown hair flying around her face as she ran.

"Maddy!" She barreled into her cousin. Hard. With an 'oof' they both went down. "You're ok! I was so worried! Oh Maddy!"

And to Maddy's surprise, she felt tears on her face, but they weren't hers.

With a small noise of pain, Maddy sat up and hugged her cousin who was practically in her lap.

"Shh there doona cry. 'M alright thanks to ye and yer friends."

Maddy had slipped into English, too tired and in pain to want to deal with Japanese so her accent came out thicker. With a gasp, Nala jerked back from the hug and put her hands on either side of Nala's face her green eyes vibrant and filled with worry as she looked over Maddy.

"You're covered in blood! What happened? Where are you hurt? Kyoya!"

Thankfully, she had switched to English to accommodate Maddy, but at the sound of his name, the boy seemed to appear out of nowhere and Maddy got her first look at the Ootori son. He looked intimidating with the way his glasses flashed on his face, but Maddy couldn't muster up any fear for him after the day she had been through. However, he crouched down next to her and began speaking in Japanese apparently not picking up on how Maddy was having trouble following his words..

"Hello Miss Aisling. I'm sorry that this happened to you on your first day here. Rest assured my family's private police force will find the people responsible."

Maddy was vaguely aware of several other boys standing around her, but she focused on Kyoya and tried to keep the ringing in her ears from distracting her.

"Hi Kyoya-" Pausing a she realized she was speaking English, she tried again this time in Japanese. "Hi Kyoya-kun. Thank you, I'm sorry that I showed up to you like this, but before you worry let me assure you that most of this blood isn't mine. I-" She broke off for a moment and blinked to clear her head. "I think I have a concussion though so before we talk can I see a doctor?"

Nala made a noise from where she was now crouching next to Maddy holding her hand. However, Kyoya shot her a glance and shook his head managing to silence her before she could speak.

"Of course, Mori if you wouldn't mind?"

It was a command phrased as a question, and Maddy glanced over as the tall, dark haired, silent boy who had accompanied Maddy in the car stepped over. Bending down, he gently picked her up in his arms and began carrying her to the house. Nala, being who she was, hurried along at his side and began chattering away. Maddy knew it was what her cousin did when she was upset and couldn't help, _she definitely hasn't changed that much in the years since we've seen each other_ but the only thing she managed to pick up from the girl talking was that Haruhi was on her way to the house.

"Nala."

The calm collected voice of the young man carrying her almost instantly silenced Nala's chatter.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Maddy smiled weakly at her, but let her eyes drift shut and focused on the gentle swaying that came with being carried by the man Kyoya had called Mori. It would've been so easy to just drift off, to sleep and not worry about the pain in her head, or the fear that had wrapped its' way around her heart, but as she felt herself drifting off, someone shook her shoulder.

"Maddy stay awake for the doctor ok?"

With a small grunt, Maddy forced her eyes open and looked around her. She must've drifted off while she had been carried to the house, because she now found herself on a soft couch, and there was an older gentleman leaning over her. She tensed instantly when she didn't recognize him, and fear flashed through her. It was quelled when Nala's familiar, and still worried face peered around the man's shoulder. She smiled at Maddy.

"Don't worry, it's one of Ootori's best doctors come to see you."

Maddy let out a sigh of relief and sank back into the cushions.

 _Thank goodness because I was ready to book it and run._

As the doctor examined her head, Maddy let her eyes wander as she took in both the room and its' occupants.

Hovering near the couch, was Nala, her green eyes worried and signs of strain at the corners. Behind her stood Kyoya, his dark eyes going from Nala, to the doctor, and back again. He looked like he wanted to hold her but was too aware of the other people in the room to do it. Speaking of other people in the room….Maddy's eyes slid to the tall boy who had carried her, Mori. He was standing by the door a little ways away, watching her getting examined on the couch with quiet eyes. He held himself very still, much like a martial artist in complete control of their body.

 _He looks like a good guy to have at your back in a fight._

A small movement at his side had her looking at the small blond who had escorted her to Nala. Honey was his name if she remembered correctly, but with how woozy she was feeling Maddy couldn't be entirely sure.

 _He looks like a grade schooler, but there's something too...knowing in his eyes….Like he's seen far too much happen in his short life._

Maddy knew the look far too well. She saw it every morning when she looked in the mirror. Even as she thought that, there was a crash and the doors behind Mori burst open.

"Is she ok!?"

Haruhi was standing there, her brown hair disheveled, her large, doe-like eyes glancing from person to person until the landed on Maddy as she lay on the couch. Behind her was a tall blond with stunning violet eyes, which were filled with worry, and something else. She could have sworn she saw them flash red for a moment before his attention was back on Haruhi.

Jaw dropping, Haruhi gaped at her and Maddy winced. She knew she looked bad, but she didn't want to be reminded that she looked that bad.

"How is she?"

The quiet voice of Kyoya snapped her out of the moment, and her eyes slid from Haruhi to the doctor who was just beginning to straighten up and fix his jacket.

"She'll be fine sir." The man addressed Kyoya with respect in his voice, not even sparing her a glance which bothered Maddy. "She has a minor concussion and should rest for a few days before doing anything strenuous, but after that she'll be perfectly ok. Her current fatigue and dizziness is from the nasty bump she has on the back of her head, and dehydration. She'll feel much better once she has some food and water."

Nodding, Kyoya dismissed the man and turned to her.

"Well Miss Aisling, it looks like you got off pretty lucky. Care to tell us what happened?"

He was all business, and despite their previous phone calls, he wasn't entirely what Maddy had thought he would be. She glanced between him and Nala, who was still standing at his side.

 _Not what I expected at all, but if he makes Nala happy…._

He cleared his throat, and Maddy blinked at him before shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

"Right. Sorry I'm kind o' out o' it right now. Do yeh think I could snag that water from yeh before I start talking? And some advil while yeh're at it."

With a frustrated glance, Kyoya nodded and stepped aside to the door to call a maid and relayed what his instructions to her.

A few minutes later found Maddy sipping water and taking several Advil as she straightened out what she wanted to say. Setting the glass down, Maddy glanced at the other boys in the room around her and decided introductions were in order after her story, or maybe before.

Nala seemed to read her mind, and stepping up to her, pointed out each boy in turn and gave her a brief introduction.

"That's Tamaki, he's the host club president, and Haruhi's significant other." She gestured to the tall blond behind Haruhi who nodded and gave her a charming smile.

 _So that's the one I've heard so much about…._

"Next to them are Mori and Honey, they're the resident seniors,"

 _Ha I had their names right go me!_

"Then of course you know Kyoya, and the twins are on their way here now."

Maddy smiled up at Nala.

"Thanks Nala. Sorry I figured it would be better to know who they are now." With a small frown, she bit her lip and glanced around the room. "Should I tell my story now? Or wait for the twins?"

Fortunately, Kyoya spoke up.

"Tell us now, they can be given the details when they get here."

With a nod she gave the brief summary of what had happened.

"Well. at the train station I saw Nala an' I didna' realize anything was wrong 'til I saw how scared she looked, an' before I could do anything someone decided to use my head as the baseball to their bat and I was out."

Maddy shuddered as she thought about what she would have to tell next.

"I woke up on the ground in some dark room, covered in blood an' dirt," she glanced ruefully down at her still dirty clothes. "My apologies for getting this on yer couch." Honey just waved a hand in acceptance and beckoned for me to continue. "But once I woke up, I opened my eyes and I could see because of dim lights that were on, and I…" She flushed in embarrassment. "I proceeded to upchuck meh dinner from las' night."

"Why?"

Kyoya was writing everything I said in a small black book that had seemingly appeared in his hand from nowhere.

 _Am I being interviewed or something? What is up wi' the book?_

"Er, well, I saw something awful." Maddy turned her gaze to the floor and shuddered. "A man, he had been cut apart like a biology dissection and he was all in piles on the floor an' I realized I was lyin' in 'is blood and I couldna keep my dinner down."

"Oh Maddy."

Nala and Haruhi were staring at her with sadness and worry, she could feel it in their gazes, but she didn't look back up. Swallowing, and focusing on keeping her accent in check so they would be able to understand her, Maddy continued.

"Once I stopped puking, I made myself get up and begin looking for a way out. I first found a door on the far wall an' headed for that, but it didn't look right 'cause it went to a set of stairs that led down into darkness. So i shut the door an' began looking for another way out. Except before I did that I looked for a weapon, and opened a cabinet on the other side of the room found it full of acids. I took one, and kept the lid loose enough to pop off if needed."

As she explained what had happened from there, the only part of the story that anyone interrupted was when she said she dumped the acid on the monster's face when it had held her ankle. It made Maddy's skin crawl to think about it, but she described it anyway.

"It had long almost skeletal fingers, and it's skin was so pale it was more grey than flesh colored. And its' face…." She paused for a moment as another shudder worked its way up her spine. "It was like looking into the face of a rotting corpse that is almost a skeleton. It was...it wasn't human whatever it was an'I know that sounds crazy, an' maybe I was just hallucinating, but it wasna the face of a man. It was the face of death."

After that, no one had interrupted her again until she had finished.

"I'm sorry Mad-chan. That's awful."

Maddy's eyes instantly went to Honey as he spoke and used the nickname, an eyebrow flicking up in surprise at the term.

"Mn."

Mori nodded his head with a small hum of agreement, his eyes thoughtful and dark.

"Yes Miss Aisling, our sincerest apologies for this incident."

Kyoya spoke formally, and Maddy nodded in understanding. As the daughter of a rich business man, she knew he was being polite and caring in the best way he knew how to, but in that moment it struck a little too close to home for her with how similar to her father he sounded so her response was a little bit stiff.

"It's fine I guess. I jus' need some sleep if tha' can be arranged?"

Kyoya nodded at her, his attitude about that one of no nonsense which she appreciated at the moment.

"Of course, we'll leave you here, someone will be in to check on you in a bit just to make sure you're ok, and the silver bell next to you if rung will immediately bring one of the servants here. Until we can procure a phone for you that will have to make do."

Nala opened her mouth as if to protest, but a firm shake of Kyoya's head made her shut it again and Maddy ducked her head to hide a smile.

"Aye, tha' will be perfect thanks."

With another nod, and a hand on Nala's shoulder to steer her out of the room, Kyoya, and the hosts with him, departed from the room to let Maddy sleep.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Soft snuffling woke Maddy ,and something tickled across her face; swatting at it in annoyance, she huffed and went to roll farther away on the bed. However, there wasn't anywhere farther to go and with a sharp gasp of breath she fell of the couch she was on. With her head throbbing, and her pride more wounded than her butt from the fall, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, and opened her eyes. The second gasp she let out upon doing so this time wasn't from shock however, this one was from fear. Standing scant inches away from her, with golden eyes that were narrowed into suspicious slits, were two massive tigers.

Maddy froze, going deathly still as she stared at the animals. Of course someone as ostentatiously rich as these people would have pet tigers who wandered around in their houses, but a little warning would've been nice to have.

They watched her, standing just as still their golden eyes roaming over her, except for one tiger whose tail kept twitching. She blinked slowly, scared that any movement might set them off, and when that didn't startle them she tried another approach.

"Ello there fellows. If you don't mind I'd really appreciate being left alone righ' now. "M not exactly feeling a hundred percent well and don't think I'd be such great company. Also, yeh both have rather large teeth…"

At her comment about their fangs, the one who seemed more riled up with his flicking tail, bared them at her in an open warning. She gulped hard. The one who hadn't barred his teeth at her stalked forward, sniffing her, and when he got close it was like a switch flipped. He reared back with a loud snarl, colliding with the coffee table standing there and knocking it over. His lips were pulled back, ears flat, and eyes all but glowing with anger as he surveyed her. Whatever he smelled must've reached his sibling at that point, because that one too let out a snarl or anger. However, rather than retreating backwards, this one stalked closer towards her, and Maddy scrambled backwards on her butt trying to avoid the sharp teeth that were drawing too close for her liking.

Another warning growl from behind her was all she got before bumping into the other large cat. She felt it trembling from rage, and swallowed hard. This was going to be how she died, of course it was. She survived a demon, only to fall into the grasp of two big cats who shouldn't have a problem with her. A whimper slipped out of her, and she cowered; hands raised above her face as if the few extra inches of muscle, bone, and flesh would somehow keep them back.

Maddy could feel the cats anger like a physical thing, pushing down on her from all sides until she was gasping for breath, silent tears tracking down her cheeks, and her heart beating so rapidly it was like someone had trapped a hummingbird in her chest.

A door rattled nearby, and the animals stiffened, before drifting away from her. She lay on the ground gasping for breath, and watched as the tigers slipped out of the room through another door. Fear pounding through her, she pulled herself upright and threw herself onto the couch just as the door across the room opened to admit Honey and Mori.

When Honey saw she was awake he smiled brightly at her, but it disappeared when he saw the tears on her face, and the broken table beside her.

"Maddy! Are you ok?!"

Honey rushed forward, worry on his face, and for a moment she debated telling him about the cats, but before she could, two other people swept into the room. Twins, red hair, and gold eyes that stared at her the same way a cat stares at a mouse. She felt caught under their stare, a strange fluttering sensation filling her chest.

"Honey, have you seen the shadow lord?"

Honey turned back to them, a frown on his normally bright face.

"No I think he's with Nala, but have you met Maddy yet?"

Maddy stood slowly, ignoring the ringing in her ears, and nodded towards them in greeting with a soft hello, extending a hand to shake that only stared at, with eyebrows raised. Slowly Maddy let it drop back to her side. Obviously these two weren't extremely friendly fellows, even if Honey was staring at them like they had both suddenly turned into strangers.

"If you'll excuse us."

Turning, they swept out of the room.

"That was weird. Maybe they didn't have enough cake today, normally they are just like Tama-chan." Mori was staring after them too, a frown on his face, but he let out a considering hum at Honey's words before nudging his cousin again. "Oh Nala! The table! Are you ok? Did you have a nightmare?"

Maddy blinked having momentarily forgotten about the table since she was too caught up in the golden eyes of the Hitachiin twins.

"Oh, yes...something along those lines. I'm sorry Honey, I'll pay to fix it."

He waved away her concern, telling her not to worry about it before mentioning to her that Kyoya had sent them to see if she was awake and wanted to eat something. A grin slid over Maddy's face, and she nodded eagerly at the idea of food. Honey shared the grin with her, and Mori offered his arm to help escort her to the dining room.

As they left the room, Maddy glanced back at the broken table and felt a shudder of fear crawl up her spine. She didn't have an explanation for the tigers, couldn't have tried to explain it even if she wanted to, and with the way her head was aching the thought of food was all she wanted to worry about at the moment. No more thoughts of boys with eyes like molten gold, or tigers that didn't respond to her the way most animals did. Just food, hot, rich, maybe some chocolate if she could convince someone to grab her some.

Honey pushed the door open, and Mori escorted her into the room only for her to stop cold. The tigers were there, sitting calmly across the room from her, their predatory eyes watching her like she was the prey.

Mori followed her gaze and let out a surprised grunt at the sight. The other hosts, who had been sitting at the table talking, turned as well, and it looked for a moment like Kyoya actually flushed with anger.

"Would someone care to explain the choice of exotic pets before I sit down to eat next to them?"

**Authors Note**

Hey all! It feels pretty swell to be writing again not gonna lie, I hope you all enjoy this second chapter! Please feel free to leave reviews and comments for me, they are always the highlight of my day!

Shout out to...

artgirlperry + 123VampWolf (thanks for the follows and favs!)


	3. Chapter 3

Dinner proved an awkward affair. They were all reluctant to talk about the large cats that laid across the room from Maddy and watched her with careful eyes, silence ended up reigning predominantly until Nala huffed in annoyance and turned to Maddy.

"Mads, you never did tell us what you're gameplan was. When do you go in for the interview with the head of the company?"

She took her eyes off the tigers, and turned towards Nala, a real smile lighting up her face.

"I go in," She checked the clock on the wall, "Well I need to leave 'ere in the mornin' for the meetin' which is scheduled as a luncheon a' eleven." She frowned in thought. "I think I was supposed to meet the entire team, but I really hope not. Tha' many people at once freaks meh out."

Nala's green eyes twinkled at her.

"Maybe there will be someone cute to distract you from that."

Maddy laughed, a rich sound from deep inside at the thought.

"Per'aps! I 'eard that the head of the company has two sons who are a large part of the process, and are very 'andsome but I didna look 'em up afore comin' 'ere." Nala laughed, but the sound was cut short by the sound of a phone ringing. Maddy started, and blinked in surprise when she found Kyoya's hand in front of her face with her ringing phone in it. "You saved my luggage?!"

She grinned at him jubilantly, and he gave her a small smirk in response.

"Of course, what type of host would I be if I didn't?"

She chuckled, but took the still ringing phone, blanching at the caller ID.

"I'm gonna step out to take this. Nala want to go to my room to talk after?"

The girl grinned and flashed her thumbs up in agreement even as Maddy stepped from the dining room into a small sitting room and leaned the door shut to take what she could now see was her father's call.

"Ello?"

"Madden, you didn't call me when you landed."

She winced at the coldness in his voice.

"Aye, er, yes sir. It was a bit of a hectic landing, and I missed the bus, and then, um, well suffice it to say I've only just gotten to the hotel and have been settling in…"

There was silence on the other side of the line, and she held her breath waiting for his reply.

"Of course. You know what to expect if you don't do this right Madden, I expect the best and only the best. If I hear otherwise…" he let his sentence trail off but the girl understood the silent threat, and her heartbeat skipped and danced with panic.

"N-no sir, I wouldna dream of tha'."

"Good, and for the love of- Lose the damn accent. No one wants to hear that uneducated sound coming out of a girls mouth."

"Ye-yes sir. I will."

Her eyes were on the carpet, and she wrapped her free arm around her waist.

"Good, I'll be calling to check in on you tomorrow after the interview."

He hung up without saying goodbye, and Maddy's shoulders sank. She tucked the phone into her pocket and buried her head in her hands, letting out a long sigh. It would appear that no matter how much distance she put between them he would always be a silent threat, ready - and willing - to take her freedom away as he deemed.

 _Life isnna choreographed, yeh must be able to improvise amidst chaos._

Hissing out a breath of frustration she pushed the thought to the back of her mind, and tried to ignore the growing frustration she felt. A glass vase rattled on the table, and she started suddenly at the noise, watching in shock as it tipped over onto the carpeted ground from the table. She gaped at it, silenting giving a prayer of thanks that it had been empty save for the decorative marbles that had spilled out, but how the hell had that happened?

 _I'm goin' bloody insane already an' it's only been a day…_

She slid off the couch and picked up the little glass marbles, and righted the floor quickly, before exiting back to the dining room in search of the others. Nala and Haruhi upon seeing her grabbed her arms and whisked her away to their rooms to catch up and talk, and for the first time in a long time, a sense of contentment slid through Maddy; leaving her heart at peace.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

They talked for hours, ended up eating dinner in Nala's room, and before soon it was dark. They talked about everything from who they had had crushed on, to everything that had happened to Nala, and the hosts, and Tamaki and Haruhi, and Maddy's father, and so much more. One after the other, the other two girls fell asleep, and Maddy looked in surprise at the clock only to find midnight was just a few minutes away.

 _I need a shower afore tomorrow!_

Slipping off the bed, Maddy crept out of Nala's room, and down the hall in search of the bathroom she knew was down it somewhere. The house was massive though, and the turn she thought let her to the bathroom led her to another corridor full of closed doors. Puzzled and confused, Madden walked down it, glancing right and left as if the answer would be obvious as to which door was the bathroom. She sighed in annoyance, hoping she'd have time to shower in the morning because she certainly wasn't spending the night seardching for the bathroom. Turning around, let out a sharp gasp of fear. Behind her, stood one of the twins, and by his side stood one of the tigers, it's gold eyes gleaming in the dim light that was coming in from the tall window to their side that overlooked the grounds.

"Im sorry, yeh scared me there, can I 'elp yeh?"

They both watched her silently for a moment, and Madden shifted as unsease filled her.

"Why are you here?"

The boy's voice was low, dangerous, controlled. Beside him, the tiger growled.

"What do yeh mean? I'm 'ere for my job, an' to see Nala an' Haruhi…"

The animal beside him growled in warning at her, pacing behind the twin.

"No. Don't lie, we can smell it. You're not welcome here. Get out."

Turning on his heel, he began to stride down the hallway, but Maddy's quiet words stopped both animal and human.

"I donna know what I've done to yeh, but please, donna ruin meh trip 'cause o' an imagined wrong. I'd like to get to know yeh without this feelin' yeh are throwing at meh as if I'm less than yeh or have slighted yeh somehow."

Neither turned when she spoke, but there was a sneer in the twin's voice when he spoke, and the tiger next to him snarled quietly.

"We don't want your fucking promises witch. Get away from us before we are forced to make you leave."

So saying, he strode back down the hallway, silent as the cat who prowled next to him, and disappeared into the gloom of the big house.

Curling her lip at him, Maddy made a face at his back; jumping when the lights around her flickered briefly she looked around the hall nervously before hurrying back to her rooms.

Why was it all these houses she was in lately had faulty wiring?

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Maddy snapped awake, rolling off the bed even as her head spun and her stomach rolled. Something was in her room. Gasping, she hit the floor with a thud, eyes flashing across the room in fear; panic she didn't understand rearing its ugly head.

 _No no no no no no no no no._

The words were a soundtrack running through her mind desperately, and around her the air chilled rapidly.

"MADDEN WAKE UP!" The voice that roared her name shook her out of whatever state she'd been in, and Maddy's eyes focused, the panic ebbing away; only to discover she was panting rapidly, hands raised in fear in front of her body, and she was crouched on the far side of the bed from where Nala and Haruhi were standing. "Dear mother of pearl woman," Nala stared at her in shock, her green eyes wide and a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. "We opened your door to wake you up and you were off that bed like the hounds of hell were here for you. What kind of weird dream were you having!"

Maddy stared at her for a moment trying to collect her thoughts, before standing up and shaking her head slowly.

"Sorry guys, I don' entirely remember." Flashes of the dream slid through her mind's eye: the monster's face, the man's body, so much blood, and then the glowing golden eyes. She shivered, and shook her head again a little more vigorously. "Thanks for comin' an' wakin' me up. What time is it? 'Cause I still need to shower. I couldn' find the bathroom last night."

Nala and Haruhi both rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"Rich people and their incessant need for huge homes am I right?"

Haruhi and Nala shared a laugh, but froze when they looked back at Maddy who was grinning awkwardly at both of them.

"I mean, I do enjoy livin' in a large 'ouse I can't lie, but i' can get a little ridiculous when yeh continuously get lost."

Maddy winked at them, and the other girls laughed again.

"True true," Haruhi's smile was infectious with how it lit her large, doe eyes up, and Maddy found an answering smile slipping across her face. It had always been this way between the three of them, never letting Maddy's rich status get between them. "In answer to your question it's about nine in the morning maybe a little bit after, the other hosts - except for Kyoya - are just getting up and you should have time to shower, do your makeup, and eat breakfast before you leave for your interview."

"Awesome! Thanks girls, show me to the bathroom and I'll do just tha'!"

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Maddy stood under the warm spray of the shower and just let herself feel the heat of it running over her skin. Stress over the interview had her stomach twisting in knots. And she sighed deeply.

 _I hope this works out, I know they already offered, but what if they retract the offer or somethin'?_

She scrubbed her hands over her face, released another deep sigh, and turned the water off. Stepping out of the bathroom, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. Her skin was pale, littered with bruises in certain areas from her attack, kidnapping, and subsequent escape. Sighing again, she frowned at herself in the mirror. Her blue eyes were clear and bright after the shower, and she looked into them through the mirror.

"Yeh are a strong woman Madden Aisling. No one, no' yeh dad, no' an animal, no' stupid twins will distract yeh. Yeh are goin' to nail this meetin', and that's final!" She smiled at herself in the mirror, white teeth and pink lips flashing something more sad than happy. "I'm goin' to prove them wrong, this is my life, no' my parents." The smile blossomed at those words, and with a decisive nod at herself, the girl turned away to grab a towel and get dressed.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Madden trotted down the stairs, a smile fixed firmly on her brightly painted lips; red, bold, decisive.

"Kyoya?"

Her voice echoed in the empty hall, the house almost ringing with silence, and she frowned into the stillness. Stepping off the stairs, she wandered her way into the dining room they'd eaten in the night before, pausing when she found it empty. Her spine tingled and she whipped around eyes darting around the room.

"Look, if this is some sort of game please stop i'? Honey? Mori? Tamaki? Anyone?"

"What little doggy, nervous?"

With a gasp Madden spun around to face the twins. She didn't know how they'd crept up behind her, and she didn't care. All she cared about was the sixth sense that sent a thrill of fear up her spine when they stepped closer to her. Madden was tall for a girl, five feet and six inches, but these boys had at least five inches on her. She didn't run as they came closer, standing frozen but watching them with careful eyes.

"I still don't understand what I 'ave done to yeh for yeh to act so angry towards me. Where are the other hosts?"

The twin on the left grinned down at her, more of a bearing of teeth than anything.

"Oh they're in the kitchen enjoying breakfast, you went to the wrong room. Snooping were we?"

Madden drew herself up at the accusation, sucking in a deep breath and bearing her teeth right back at him.

"Oh yes ye've caught meh. I most definitely never woulda gotten lost in this mansion of a home that I've ne'er been in before righ'? Because of course the first thing I'da done would be to snoop through each room, and steal wha' I can find. Not like I'm an heiress of my own. Now, if ye'll excuse me, I'm goin' to find the kitchen. Good day."

Turning on her heel, she flounced out of the room.

Further down the hall she encountered a maid who was more than happy to give her directions to where she needed to go, and soon Madden was walking into a large, sunny kitchen.

"Mornin' everyone!"

"Maddy!" Honey bounced over to her from the large kitchen table the hosts were gathered at, "we've come to a decision - and by we I mean mostly Kyoya and then we all agreed - but we've decided that you're gonna get an escort to your interview!"

Maddy blinked and raised her eyebrows slightly.

"How...nice of Kyoya to consult meh first."

Honey just beamed up at her before grabbing her hand and dragging her over to the table; pushing her down into the empty seat between Mori and him and across from Haruhi and Maddy.

 _He's surprisin'ly strong for such a wee thing._

"Was the shower to your satisfaction Miss Aisling?"

Her blue eyes flicked up to look at Kyoya, calmly, casually she picked up the glass of water in front of her seat at the table - hoping it was for her - and took a sip.

"Good, I enjoyed it. I probably would've enjoyed it more if I'd known that my plans were being changed, but I enjoyed it. Now, what's today's game plan? So I'll know now, and please don't tell me it will be the twins accompanying me. They've got some sort of...something going on."

Kyoya shook his head, while Nala and Haruhi frowned in confusion. Tamaki rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, and Honey and Mori shared a look.

"Who knows Miss Aisling, they're moody these days. Even with us.

However, I discussed this with Nala today and we decided that you having an escort for now is the best decision due to any possible danger. So, for an unforeseeable amount of time, Mori will be accompanying you places; with Honey when Honey has the time since he's just begun some rather intensive lessons."

Maddy nodded thoughtfully at Kyoya's words.

"Tha' is fair I guess. The real question I 'ave now though, is what's for breakfast?"

*Author's Note*

Hello friends! Please ignore this trash filler chapter, I had to hit the ground running and escape writers block before it completely caught me, but I think it's gone now? It's like a cold my dudes, you never know when it will strike. Anyway, better stuff is coming; maddy meets her employer next dun dun duh).

Shoutout to...

Follows/ favs

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Reviews

Hibiki Loke (THANK YOU THANK YOU! I'll do my best to keep it up!)

Let'sDotheTimeLordpAgain (oh but the cliff hangers are just the best part aren't they? ;) )

KittyKatt25 (Well, that is the real question now isn't it)

sammie97grace (Oh thank you! It's coming a little slowly these days, and yeah, the twins are gonna have their hands (or paws?) full haha) Follows/ favs

killjarkidranger + GabbyAbby216 + Hibiki Loke + Let'sDotheTimeLordpAgain + SnowLink2 + Seahorses123 + KittyKatt25 + Tazdaspaz + Isabelnecessaryonabicycle + sammie97grace + IvyHollyfoot + nadishikorei + Danizouka + Asryanne + Cookies16 + Fangirl282 + Fangirl282 + Chasity-Ichigo + Skyress98 +

Reviews

Hibiki Loke (THANK YOU THANK YOU! I'll do my best to keep it up!)

Let'sDotheTimeLordpAgain (oh but the cliff hangers are just the best part aren't they? ;) )

KittyKatt25 (Well, that is the real question now isn't it)

sammie97grace (Oh thank you! It's coming a little slowly these days, and yeah, the twins are gonna have their hands (or paws?) full haha)


	4. Chapter 4

"Nervous?"

Mori's question startled Maddy and she turned to face him from where she'd been craning out the window of the limo. After breakfast Maddy had excused herself to panic in her room, then come back out in time to get tugged aside by Nala and Haruhi who wished her the best of luck and given her so many reassuring hugs. Her heart swelled with love for her friends at the memory.

"Beyond nervous." She gave him a weak smile after shaking away the other thoughts. "This job is my ticket out of hell. I 'ave to get it, because what waits for meh at home isn't pleasant." Mori's eyes narrowed and Maddy elaborated on her sentence. "My dad and I don't exactly have the most congenial relationship."

The car rolled to a stop and Maddy sucked in a deep breath.

"Mori, do yeh want to wait in the car for meh? Take it for a drive or somethin' and I'll text yeh when I'm out? If I have yeh come in it makes meh look either cocky or under confidant. Like I can't handle i' on my own."

Mori merely nodded his assent with a quiet hum.

"Thank yeh." She breathed the words and smiled at him before stepping out of the car to walk with confident steps towards the building.

Mori watched her go in silence. He knew from Kyoya who Maddy was here to interview with. He also knew what the twin's mother was, and that was the only reason he let her go into the building alone. No one would hurt her in there. Tigers were possessive of what they viewed as theirs. As a women in the fashion agency, Mrs Hitachiin viewed her models as hers. Maddy would be safe.

Mori thought of the girl's big blue eyes, so expressive of what she was thinking, and how she easily brought a smile to the faces of those around her. Even Kyoya when she teased him in a way that only Kyoya could understand, and Mori smiled to himself quietly. Shutting his eyes as the limo left to bring him back to the mansion until it was time to pick Maddy up, he had the feeling that more adventures were on their way.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*

 _Hitachiin Clothing, Fashion and Design; It's not about being elegant, it's about being remembered._

Maddy walked underneath the sign, head held high, shoulders back, and a smile on her lips. The door swung open before she could reach it, and a butler of some sort bowed and ushered her into the lobby. Maddy's blue eyes swept over the room, taking in the clean edges, the simplicity of the lobby in it's black and white colors, and on the far wall a tiger done in black and white - the symbol of the company - curled around a figure in an elegant dress, it's glimmering golden eyes the only color on the wall. They seemed to follow Maddy as she walked to the receptionist, and she shivered.

"Madden Aisling?"

Maddy gave the other woman a bright smile.

"Yes, tha's me."

The receptionist was a lovely young woman, blonde and tall with icy gray eyes that swept dispassionately over Maddy before seemingly dismissing her as irrelevant.

"If you would follow me please, Miss Aisling." The blonde turned, and led Maddy down the hall. The clack of their heels on the floor the only noise around them, and Maddy's stomach twisted nervously as they approached the elevator.

The woman swiped a key card and they waited only a moment before the elevator opened to reveal the same simple white and black pattern with the tiger symbol on the opposite side of the wall from the doors.

"Tigers, huh?"

The receptionist glanced at Maddy briefly and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Hitachiin-san is fond of them."

Another moment of silence.

"Is she a good boss?"

The woman gave Maddy another quizzical glance as if she wasn't used to being addressed in such a way.

"She can be rather particular, and she has rather interesting tendencies at times, but yes she is. Follow her rules, don't mingle with her sons, do your job and you'll be fine." The elevator dinged as they arrived on the - Maddy glanced at the floor number - fourteenth floor, and the doors slid silently open. "Please follow the paw prints on the floor to the door at the end of the hall. You may enter directly after knocking."

Madden swallowed, rested her hand briefly on her churning stomach and nodded resolutely.

"Thank yeh very much for the help! Also, I didn't catch your name?"

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at Maddy.

"You're an interesting one Miss Aisling. Have a nice day."

And with those words the elevator doors shut between them. Puzzled, Maddy stared at them for a moment before shrugging and walking down the hallway along the trail of pawprints. The sight of the tigers on the walls, and the pawprints made her mind drift back to the twins. They were so angry, and she didn't understand why. That was what made it the worst part in her mind. As far as she knew she'd never met either of them during her previous time in Japan when she lived there, and since coming back she'd done nothing but get kidnapped and diagnosed with a mild concussion which had cleared up if the lack of headaches was anything to go by. Either they found girls who got kidnapped people very offensive, or they had some other stupid reason that boys sometimes have that never make sense.

] _Either way_ , she reminded herself _now isn't the time to worry about it._

She had reached the door, and raising her hand she rapped on it a few times. Following the instructions of the receptionist woman she opened the door after knocking and stepped into the room. Her eyebrows rose at the magnificent opulence of the room. It was a far cry from the simple, neat lines of the other parts of the building she had seen so far. On the far side of the wall a large wooden desk sat with great floor to ceiling windows behind it. On the floor a thick, luxurious looking rug rested that looked so soft that a person could just sink into it. The walls were painted a warm brown, and pictures of people lined the walls. Maddy's eyes skimmed over the photos as her eyes were drawn up to the ceiling. Above her, the tiger stared down at her with it's glittering golden eyes. There was no woman depicted in this image of the company logo. Rather where the woman would have been were two small tigers - cubs if Maddy had to guess - and the ferocious eyes of the mother tiger watched over those who would dare come into her sanctuary. Instead of being disconcerting, the painting was beautiful and Maddy took comfort in the love she felt was exuded in the painting.

"You like it?"

Startled, Maddy snapped her head back down towards the voice across the room. A beautiful woman was standing there, a smirk on her face and her eyes bright with laughter. Her auburn hair was cut short and messy in a pixie style, and her eyes were bright with...something. Maybe amusement, maybe laughter, maybe curiosity but to Maddy it was like looking into the eyes of a cat. You could see the glow of thoughts, but didn't know what was being thought behind them to cause the shine. The woman was dressed fabulously, a short skirt wrapped around slim legs and an elegant looking dress shirt of some material that almost seemed to shimmer had artfully been created so as to slip off of one shoulder in a scandalizing way and still be fully decent.

This, Maddy realized in awe, was Yuzuha Hitachiin, her new employer.

"Hitachiin-san." She crossed the room to shake her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person finally. Thank you for your gracious offer to work with you!"

The woman smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Maddy like she knew all the secrets in her life.

"Miss Aisling, it's a pleasure to meet with you as well. I was glad that my rather _specific_ request that your father not be present did not put you off of this."

Maddy shook her head firmly.

"Not at all Hitachiin-san. My father and I don't get along superbly well, so I'm rather glad tha' I will be able to work independently."

The other woman smiled, her teeth flashing as she laughed a little.

"Yes, we all have to fly free from the nest eventually don't we?" She straightened from where she'd been leaning against her desk, and gestured to the couch placed by the fireplace on the wall to the left of the door. "Please, sit, we'll have tea and talk."

They moved the the couch where it appeared someone had already placed tea on the table in front of it, and a fire warmed the room.

"So the tiger hm?"

Maddy's calm smile transformed into something far more abashed.

"Oh...aye, there's just...somethin' so peaceful about i'." She looked up at the ceiling again to admire the animals depicted there. "It's the picture of a strong family, an' the mother...yeh can see it in her eyes, she loves her children very much."

Hitachiin-san grinned wickedly.

"I completely agree. I find in interesting you like it. Most people are disconcerted by the eyes."

Maddy shook her head.

"No. no' at all. Those are the eyes a good mother should watch 'er children with."

"Yes." There was a moment of silence while the business woman seemingly gathered her thoughts. "The accent my dear, is it real or fake? It seems to come and go a little bit when you talk."

Maddy's blush deepened exponentially.

"Yes...I'm trying to work on it since my parents don't like it, but I grew up between here and Ireland - mainly Ireland - and it's never left me." She grinned widely. "See how I can cover it now? There's only the faintest hint. My grandmother says it's getting stronger because I'm growing closer to my roots as I get older since I'm going to do great things for people."

Hitachiin-san smiled but her eyes were sad for a moment as she looked at Maddy.

"Yes, you will do a great many things in your life. It's in your eyes, you're a young soul with a lot left to experience. I for one quite enjoy your accent, it sets you apart. Tell me, do you have pets?"

Maddy blinked at her, she was confused by the line of questioning since she had presumed it would be about her ethics and teamwork and what she was prepared to model and what her limits were. But this? This was far different from those ideas.

"I, well, not really?"

"You make it sound like a question."

"Well yeh see, unofficially yes. I have a rather odd affinity for animals, and there are a lot of them in the woods around my home in America that I take care of."

The other woman lifted an eyebrow quizzically.

"In the woods _around_ your home? Do you mean they are wild?"

Maddy blushed hard, heat rushing into her face.

"Yes, I 'ave taken care of them ever since I was little and got lost in the woods. A deer found meh and stayed with meh all that afternoon, and ever since then I go out there as much as possible to make sure there are no traps set and that they are ok. Senseless cruelty to animals is something I will never tolerate, and even though we 'ave signs posted against hunting people still try it." Maddy shook her head. "I will never understand how people can be cruel to animals and be ok with it."

Mrs. Hitachiin's eyes were twinkling again, bright with mischief.

"I agree. As you'll see after you've been with us for a while, we do not incorporate animal products into any of our clothing. No real fur or pelts will ever be used by this company despite what some people wish. Because we do not advocate for it, we have a stronger foot in the fashion industry. Respect is easier to earn when you take something that is very hard to do and do it with success. I think you'll fit in quite well in this company Miss Aisling."

"Please," Maddy grinned, "Call me Maddy."

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Maddy couldn't wipe the smile off of her face when she slid back into the limo with Mori.  
Turning to him, she let out a little squeal as she wiggled her shoulders. Mori's eyebrow raised silently as if asking her " _did you do it?_ "

She responded to his silent query with another squeal and vigorous head shaking.

"Yes! Yes, yes yes! I doona know 'ow, i' was a very odd interview but she was soooo nice about it! I canna wait to work there!" Suddenly going silent, Maddy tugged on a strand of her hair. "Oh shite, there I go again wi' my accent."

Mori spoke up quietly, making her jump.

"It's nice."

She turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"Really? My dad likes to remind meh of how uneducated it makes meh sound. But it's hard to get rid of something I grew up with."

Something dark flashed across mori's eyes, but he just shook his head.

"No."

Maddy frowned for a moment.

"Huh, interesting," she grinned and shook her head. "Anyway, I start next week, on Monday. I'm so excited. I'll have to let Kyoya know so we can work around everyones schedules if he's so certain that I need someone with me when I come and go."

Maddy turned to look out the window, eyes sparkling. Maybe she had had an awful start to her time here, but if her interview was the basis of anything then she would be fine. And have a lot of fun while she was at it.

***Author's Note***

Hey lovely readers, I'm alive! Barely! I'm actually ridiculously sick and passed out in my shower today before vomiting violently (not while I was passed out, after) but anyway!

Thanks for sticking around while I've been on my brief hiatus. Life has become...crazy, and a little stressful.

But enjoy this chapter! As always, your feedback is appriciated!

Love ~ Lollicatt

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killjarkidranger (Yep, they're actually ridiculous. Trust me, it'll only get better)

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